Cable connector



Oct, 12, 1954 G. M. HlxoN 2,691,772

CABLE CONNECTOR Filed May 25 1951 f f j? '3\ .Hmmm fj ,V 2// Z, f. 29 9/ 37 I /f 7 a Patented Oct. 12, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CABLE CONNECTOR George M. Hixon, Braintree, Mass.

Application May 25, 1951, Serial No. 228,280

4 Claims. l

My invention relates to cable connectors.

The invention, which has among its objects a cable connector with improved means for gripping the cable, will be best understood from the following description when read in the light of the accompanying drawings of an embodiment of the invention selected for illustrative purposes, while the scope of the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a cable connector according to the invention, showing the connector in assembled relation with a stranded wire cable and bus-bar or the like;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, with parts omitted; and

Fig. 5 illustrates a detail.

The cable connector illustrated by the drawings comprises a body I of conductive material such as copper or brass, with which body is integrally formed a projecting lug 3 having a perforation at 5 through which extends the shank 'I of a bolt 3 for securing the connector to a bus-bar or like part 9.

As illustrated, the connector body I is formed with a cable receiving opening II which is of lcircular transverse cross-section except that at its upper portion it is formed with a laterally projecting longitudinally extending groove or recess I3 of arcuate cross-section.

As further illustrated, extending transversely through the connector body is a through opening I5 which intersects the cable receiving opening I I in partially overlapping relation therewith, so that the upper portion of the through opening opens into the lower lateral and bottom portions of the cable receiving opening as viewed in Fig. 3. As shown, each end portion of the through opening is square in transverse cross-section, having a flat bottom wall surface Il, a flat top wall surface I9, and opposite flat side wall surfaces 2|. The two flat bottom surfaces I'I as they extend inward are upwardly inclined toward the cable receiving opening II, so as to form wedge surfaces, each of the two at top surfaces I9 preferably being parallel to the surface II im mediately below it.

Received in each end portion of the through opening I5 is shown a block 23 preferably formed of other hard brass or hard copper alloy. Each of these blocks, as shown, is square in transverse cross-section corresponding to the transverse cross-sectional shape of the end portion of the through opening I5 which receives the block. The lower flat inclined surface 25 of each block rests upon the adjacent flat wedge surface II for supporting the block on said surface I'I, while the upper flat inclined surface 21 of each block fits the adjacent upper inclined surface I9 with a minimum of clearance, the side walls 29 of the block fitting the side wall surfaces 2|. Each block, as shown, is further formed with a convex cable gripping portion 3l adapted to enter the cable receiving opening II when the blocks are slid toward each other up the inclined surfaces I1.

As further shown, the left hand block 23, as viewed in Fig. 3, is provided with a screw-threaded perforation 33 which screw-threadedly receives the shank 35 of a bolt 36 having a cylindrical head 3'I. The right hand block 23, as viewed in Fig. 3, is shown as provided with a perforation 39 (Fig. 5) having an outer enlarged diameter portion 4I so as to form an annular abutment shoulder 43, the perforation 39 receiving the adjacent portion of the shank 35 of the bolt and the enlarged diameter portion 4I of the perforation receiving the head 3'I of the bolt, the annular shoulder 45 of the bolt resting against the annular abutment shoulder 43 of the perforation. As shown, the head 31 of the bolt is provided with a transversely polygonal socket 41 for receiving a key wrench for rotating the bolt so as to draw the two blocks toward each other up the inclined surfaces I'I. Preferably the perforation 39 and the enlarged diameter portion 4l and annular abutment shoulder 43 there of are presented by the interior surfaces of a steel bushing 48 xedly received in a correspond ingly shaped perforation in the right hand block 23, as viewed in Fig. 3, so that the bolt may be made of steel and have no abrasive action on the softer copper or brass block and therefore permit the bolt to be readily screwed up tightly against the resistance offered by the cable gripped by the two blocks. As shown, the bottom portion of the through opening which receives the blocks is cut away adjacent the juncture of the two inclined surfaces Il to form a recess 49 for permitting passage of the shank 35 of the bolt.

When the skinned end 5I of the stranded wire cable 53 is inserted into the cable receiving opening II it will be understood that the two blocks 23 will be preliminarily positioned by rotation of the bolt 35 to permit such insertion, after which by turning the bolt by means of the key wrench inserted into the socket 4l these two blocks may be slid toward each other up the inclined surfaces l1 which act as wedge surfaces to cause the portions 3i of the blocks firmly to grip the cable and force it upwardly against the upper portion of the longitudinally extending walls of the cable receiving opening. In this way the cable is in effect firmly gripped at three longitudinally extending portions thereof spaced circumferentially around the cable, two of these portions being constituted by those in contact with the blocks, and thev third by the portion of the cable receiving opening above the blocks as viewed in Fig. 3. The pressure of the blocks on the cable also acts to distort it and force its strands at its upper portion, as viewed in Fig. 3,A into the longitudinally extending recess I3 of the cable receiving opening, which effectivelyv will act to prevent any rotative movement or twisting of the cable relative to the connector, as will likewise act the cable gripping portions 3| of the blocks which being exteriorly convex so distort the strands of the cable that when the cable is gripped by the blocks said portions t into longitudinally extending recesses in the cable. The upper surfaces le of the opening receiving the blocks coact with the complementary surfaces 21! of the blocks to prevent material vertical tilting of the blocks so that when they are forced against the cable the lower inclined surfaces 25 of the blocks properly coact withr the lower inclined surfaces il of such opening, and further the surfaces 21 by preventing such tilting act to prevent any material bending stress being placed on the shank of a bolt so as to prevent bending of the latter and enable it easily to be turned during the cable gripping operation. The blocks, being of such transverse shape that they circumferentially fit the walls of the opening receiving them, act to close said opening at its opposite ends, and the blocks and said opening being non-circular in transverse cross-section act to restrain the blocks against rotation for causing them properly to engage the cable, permit them to be moved by rotation of the bolt 36, and cause them to act to prevent rotation or twisting of the cable relative to the connector when they grip the cable.

Although, as illustrated, the cable is of such diameter that it fills the cable receiving opening transversely thereof, it will be understood that the cable may be of smaller diameter than that of the cable receiving opening. For example, it has been found that when the cable receiving opening is one inch in diameter, and the parts are proportioned as shown in the drawings, cables of anywhere from 5/8 inch to one inch in diameter may be effectively gripped by the connector.

It will be understood that within the scope of the appended claims wide deviations may be made from the form of the invention described without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A connector for stranded electric cables comprising a body having a cable receiving opening and a through opening extending transversely of said cable receiving opening, the two openings intersecting each other in partially overlapping relation; said through opening having at each of opposite sides of the cable receiving opening a portion presenting a pair of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, one surface of each pair being positioned at the side of said through opening remote from the cable receiving opening, which surfaces so positioned extend toward said cable receiving opening as they extend toward each other, while the other surfaces of said pairs lie at opposite sides of the cable receiving opening, respectively; a pair of spaced blocks received in and non-rotatably tting said portions, respectively, of said through opening for sliding on said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces of said portions, which blocks have cable gripping end portions adapted to enter said cable receiving opening when said blocks are slid to- Ward each other; and said blocks having openings between said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, through which openings extends a bolt or the like for sliding said blocks toward each other for gripping a cable inserted in said cable receiving opening.

2. A connector for stranded electric cables comprising a body having a cable receiving opening and a through opening extending transversely of said cable receiving opening, the two openings intersecting each other in partially overlapping relation; the cable receiving opening having, at its side remote from said through opening, a longitudinally extending recess; said through opening having at each of opposite sides of the cable receiving opening a portion present,- ing a pair of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, one surface of each pair being positioned at the side of said through opening remote from the cable receiving opening, which surfaces so positioned extend toward said cable receiving opening as they extend toward each other, While the other surfaces of said pairs lie at opposite sides of the cable receiving opening, respectively; a pair of spaced blocks received in and non-rotatably iitting said portions, respectively, of said through opening for sliding on said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces of said portions, which blocks have cable gripping end portions adapted to enter side cable receiving opening when said blocks are slid toward each other; and said blocks having openings between said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, through which openings extends a bolt or the like for sliding said blocks toward each other for gripping a cable inserted in said cable receiving opening.

3. A connector for stranded electric cables comprising a body having a cable receiving opening and a through opening extending transversely of said cable receiving opening, the two openings intersecting each other in partially overlapping relation; said through opening having at each of opposite sides of the cable receiving opening a portion presenting a pair of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, one surface of each pair being positioned at the side of said through opening remote from the cable receiving opening, which surfaces so positioned extend toward said cable receiving opening as they extend toward each other, while the other surfaces of said pairs lie at opposite sides of the cable receiving opening, respectively; a pair of spaced blocks received in and non-rotatably fitting said portions, respectively, of said through opening for sliding on said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces of said portions, which blocks have cable gripping end portions adapted to enter said cable receiving opening when said blocks are slid toward each other, which end portions have cable engaging surfaces that are convex in planes transverse to the cable receiving opening; and said blocks having openings between said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, through which openings extends a bolt or the like for sliding said blocks toward each other for gripping a cable inserted in said cable receiving opening.

4. A connector for stranded electric cables comprising a body having a cable receiving opening and a through opening extending transversely of Said cable receiving opening, the two openings intersecting each other in partially overlapping relation; the cable receiving opening having, at its side remote from said through opening, a longitudinally extending recess; said through opening having at each of opposite sides of the cable receiving opening a portion presenting a pair of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, one surface of each pair being positioned at the side of said through opening remote from the cable receiving opening, which surfaces so positioned extend toward said cable receiving opening as they extend toward each other, While the other surfaces of said pairs lie at opposite sides of the cable receiving opening, respectively; a pair of spaced blocks received in and non-rotatably tting said portions, respectively, of said through opening for sliding on said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces of said portions, Which blocks vhave cable gripping end portions adapted to enter said cable receiving opening when said blocks are slid toward each other, which end portions have cable engaging surfaces that are convex in planes transverse to the cable receiving opening; and said blocks having openings between said pairs of opposed parallel inclined surfaces, through Which openings extends a bolt or the like for sliding said blocks toward each other for gripping a cable inserted in said cable receiving opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,326,601 Ledwinka Dec. 30, 1919 1,511,972 Keator Oct. 14, 1924 1,986,642 Milne Jan. 1, 1935 2,163,677 Geoller June 27, 1939 2,296,927 Hubbard Sept. 29, 1942 2,339,354 Rubel et al Jan. 18, 1944 

